For decades Lebanon and its future has been a major issue of contention in the Middle East. The going got worse when a deadline for the presidential election passed on November 24 last year and the political parties could not agree on a candidate. As a result, one of the most important countries in the volatile region did not have a president for seven months!! The parliament in Beirut, despite the best efforts of some respected players and Lebanon’s true friends failed on 19 occasions to select a president. Hostile powers closely allied to the occupying regime next door saw to it that the already fractured Lebanese political landscape moves from one crisis to another. The country was on the brink of a new civil war when embattled Prime Minister, Foaud Siniora, sacked the security chief of Beirut airport and ordered the closure of Hezbollah’s telecommunications network which had been in operation for years. However, thanks to the vigilance and prudence of the powerful Islamic resistance group and its leadership, and the mediation of some key regional states, five days of marathon talks in the Qatari capital last week finally helped end the dangerous Lebanese stalemate. The ruling and opposition parties pledged to set aside their deep differences and work for the good of the troubled nation. A day after an agreement to elect Michel Suleiman as the new president, Hezbollah Leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah made an important speech. In a recent opinion poll, the revolutionary leader was elected as one of the most influential leaders in the Middle East. In his address, Nasrallah voiced his strong support for the new president and reiterated his group’s mandate to work for the unity, stability and prosperity of Lebanon.
Excerpts of Nasrallah’s speech:
This anniversary marks 60 years since the Nakba and the loss of paradise and the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978.
The resistance has set an example and offered a strategy in two fields: the strategy of liberation and resistance, and the strategy of defending the people and the nation against invasions and threat. This is the message of our celebration today (May 26) to Lebanon, a common message that all the Lebanese resistance sends with their Palestinian brothers to the nation.
Resistance Against Israel
The international community and the Arab community did not budge to implement the UN Security council passed against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Israel thought Lebanon was weak and the result was the invasion in 1982, in an attempt to annex Lebanon to Israel. Before the Israeli invasion, the Lebanese swore throughout history. When a force invaded a country the people of that country would divide. This was the state in Lebanon in 1982. This is the state in Palestine. In Iraq people break into numerous groups.
One group stands by, another group does not care, a third group is a group of conspirators, such as Jeish Lahad, a fourth group cooperates with the invaders due to common interests, a fifth group works to limit national losses, and these are usually the educated. A sixth group fills the media but thinks its humanitarian, ethical, religious and national duty is to liberate the nation, and is willing to pay the price, no matter what religion or nation it defends. This is the resistance.
These divisions are natural and historic. There are those who say there is no national consensus on the resistance, in Lebanon or in Palestine. That is true. But there is no national consensus on the other decisions either. The resistance was part of Lebanon’s people, and not all of Lebanon’s people. There were martyrs of all Lebanese sects and all Lebanese parties, whether Islamic or national. The first victory was in 1984-1985. The resistance went on, and the historic victory was on May 25, 2000, a clear victory for the resistance and the nation, a clear loss for Israel and its greater project of expanding between the Nile and the Euphrates.
The resistance’s liberation strategy was successful. But the negotiation strategies, from Madrid to elsewhere, brought nothing to Lebanon. The strategy of waiting only led the country to more desperation. Palestine waited, since 1942, for an Arab liberation strategy until the armed Fida’is. The besieged Gaza strip was able to force the Israeli’s to withdraw unconditionally, for the second time since their withdrawal from Lebanon. Till date, from Lebanon to Palestine, experience has shown that our only exit from the Nakba in all its dimensions, as Arabs and Muslims, is the resistance.
US Invasion of Iraq
The clear American invasion of Iraq has begun to unveil the real goals of their democratic mission in Iraq. There is a difference between those who believe in negotiations and those who believe in armed resistance. From our experiences, Hezbollah believes in the resistance. The [Iraqi] parliament and government are today requested to legitimize the invasion that would give America the right to be in Iraq. Whether Sunni, Shiite or nationalists, the resisters stand before a difficult task. Do you [in Iraq] now give in? Or do you follow what your nationalism and religion demand of you? I call on the Iraqi people and all its religious and national leaders to take the historic decision of preventing Iraq from falling as Lebanon was able to do. The Iraqi resistance was able to defeat the Americans time and time again. This strategy is the only way of returning Iraq to its people.
Resistance, Defense Strategy
We tried a defense strategy as well as a resistance strategy. The July 2006 war was an example of how a people can stand for weeks before the strongest army in the Middle East. We are not talking about a defense strategy written in books or universities, but of a tried strategy that was implemented and brought the others to defeat with international acknowledgement. [This trial] decreased the possibility of war in the region.
Regarding war on Lebanon, from the US or Israel or those who bet on either, we, who fought in the July War, will fight in all future wars. After the July War, we see this defense strategy in the Gaza Strip.
This defense strategy is successful in Lebanon and Gaza. Therefore, the Pharoah of this era who will soon pass on, God willing - George W. Bush Ð promised the world and Israel that Israel will celebrate another 60 years and promised the world that Hezbollah and all resistance movements will be defeated. I tell Bush and Condoleezza Rice that as long as Hezbollah relies on God and has supporters like you [people of Lebanon] , they [Americans] are defeated.
On the eighth anniversary of the resistance and the liberation, I call on all Arab governments, and not just the Lebanese government, to study the defense strategies in the region. In Lebanon, we always talk about setting a defense strategy. But I also say we need a liberation strategy for the Shebaa Farms and the liberation of detainees. Very soon, Samir [Quntar] and his brothers will be among us.
Lebanon Situation and Power
I want to move on to the Lebanese situation, but I look at the situation from May 25, 2000, in Bint Jbeil where I had the honor of proclaiming its victory and sacrifices and dedicating its victory to all of Lebanon. I said we do not want power. This land, which was freed by the blood of all resisters, is the land of the Lebanese government, and the government must bear its responsibilities. We do not want to bear security or administrative responsibilities. We did not try traitors, we handed them over to the government.
We asked the government for two things: development in the south and in neglected areas, and I named the Bekaa and Hermel. Who is preventing you from doing your duty as a state? The Lebanese know, but let all Arabs know. There are regions in Lebanon that only know taxation and police forces from the government.
We did not request a change in the government or the Taif Accord, nor for shares in power. We did not ask for anything at all.
They tell us other resistances handed in their arms after victory. But in history, all these resistances either took over power or demanded power. We did not demand power. We said this power is yours, but respect the dignity of the people. We did not partake in power in 2000, and left it to you.
Today I say Hezbollah does not want power over Lebanon, nor does it want to impose its thought on the Lebanese people, for we believe that Lebanon is a special pluralistic country. The existence of this country only comes about through coexistence and this is what we are demanding.
Wilayat Al-Faqih
When the media talks about Wilayat Al-Faqih, I am proud of being a member of the party of Wilayat Al-Faqih. Wilayat Al-Faqih says that we are its party and Lebanon is a pluralistic country we must preserve.
When the illegitimate government rescinded its two cursed decisions it is the right of the people to request the political ceiling be raised. But we did not do this. The opposition did not change any of its requests after the recent events. We went there [to Doha] to save Lebanon from what is even more dangerous.
I renew the call for participation and for the construction of a government constituted by the representatives of this people and that the Lebanese be given the chance to work together.
I personally agree to constitutional amendments that accept the Arab identity of Lebanon, I, from Wilayat Al-Faqih.
The Lebanese resistance has always been its own decision-maker. I do not want to pollute the Lebanese joy at the election of a president. The other choice I have is to postpone further discussions, but I prefer to postpone all this discussion and bear the oppressive accusations. Regarding the recent events, we have sustained deep wounds and they have sustained deep wounds.
We support the second choice: bandaging these wounds and learning lessons. I do not want to be viewed as employing the logic of the victor. I am not. So let us postpone opening the bandage around these wounds until people have calmed. Then we can prioritize cleaning the wound and moving forward.
First of all, I thank our Arab brothers and the Arab Ministerial Committee and the Arab League and its Secretary General. I especially thank Qatar and its people and first and foremost, Syria and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Secondly, regarding our arms, yes. I today reaffirm the Doha agreement clause that precludes the use of arms to attain political goals. When we go to discussion, we will discuss this. The resistance’s arms are to fight the enemy, liberate lands and prisoners, and defend Lebanon and for nothing else.
One question: the government’s arms, or the army and armed forces, is to defend the nation, the people and their rights, the government, and to maintain security. The government’s arms cannot be used to settle accounts with a political opposition team. The government’s arms cannot be used for foreign projects that prevent Lebanon from facing Israel. The government’s arms cannot be used to nail the resistance and its arms. All arms must remain at the service of the goal they were created for.
Thirdly, regarding the electoral law, the law we reached gives better representation that previous ones, and particularly the 2000 law. We do not claim that this is the ideal law. This is a law that we all agreed on to bring Lebanon out of the crisis. Anyone who says they want to build a state is unveiled when they approach the issue of the electoral law. Whoever does not want an up-to-date, fair electoral law wants a farm, and not a state.
Fourth, the election of Michel Suleiman as a president of the republic renews hope among the Lebanese for a new stage. The presidential oath we heard yesterday is what Lebanon needs: agreement, participation and cooperation. Fifth, the national-unity government is not the victory of the opposition against the pro-government alliance. It is the victory of all Lebanese.
I promise you victory again. I did not mean the victory of one group, but the victory of all of Lebanon, as on May 25, 2000, as in July 2006, as in Doha.
I promise that the opposition’s representation in the government will not be monopolized by Hezbollah, Amal and the Change and Reform Bloc. We will give other opposition parties shares Ð and unfortunately we must speak of shares Ð even if it is at the expense of Hezbollah’s shares.
I want to call on the movement and supporters of the martyred prime minister Rafik Hariri for the resistance was able, with the thought of Rafik Hariri, to say that the Lebanese made their own examples. Lebanon is neither Hong Kong nor Hanoi. Whoever is loyal to the martyred premier must cooperate and participate, as widely as possible, in power.
The Americans promise a “hot summer“; Let us achieve our own goals, and not theirs.
I tried not to name names today, for there are many names that should be thanked. The list is long, and I apologize for not naming them. Through their courageous stances, they deactivated the American project, which tries to color any struggles as sectarian struggles. We thank the Druze leadership for their courageous, wise stances, for their refused to define the struggle as a Shiite-Druze struggle.
We lost 14 martyrs [in recent events] whom we are proud of and there are martyrs from Amal, the PSP, Muslims and Christians, Sunni, Shiite and Druze. We are proud of all these martyrs. We feel the pain of the victims of the other team as well. The blood of their children saved Lebanon from the dark tunnel which would leave Lebanon with no chance to stand.
We owe all these martyrs, for they have put Lebanon before a new summer and a new chance.
From dear Beirut to the Jabal (mountain), from the south to every area in Lebanon, you have the love and appreciation of the resistance on the anniversary of the liberation of Lebanon.
